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Cambridge MPP calls proof-of-vaccination requirements in legislature 'disgraceful'

Belinda Karahalios decries move requiring provincial legislators to provide proof of vaccination at Queen's Park
belinda karahalios
Belinda Karahalios in the Legislature / YouTube

Cambridge MPP Belinda Karahalios has come out against a new rule that anyone entering Queen’s Park must show proof of COVID vaccination starting Oct. 4.

House Speaker Ted Arnott made the announcement Sept. 23 through a memo sent to provincial legislators and others who work at Queen’s Park.

Arnott said the rules will ensure a healthy and safe environment.

In a signed statement posted on Twitter and Facebook, Karahalios called the move a “disgraceful and undemocratic ruling that sets a dangerous precedent.”

“It eliminates criticism of the ruling PC Party by blocking elected representatives from the legislature who agree with the New Blue Party principals and who do not wish to disclose their vaccination status or are unvaccinated.”

“Does that mean that unvaccinated people, or those who do not wish to disclose their vaccination status and refuse testing, won’t be allowed to vote in a general election?” she questioned. 

Karahalios was ousted from the PC caucus in July 2020 for voting against Bill 195, which gave the Ontario government powers under the emergency measures act to enforce lockdowns during the pandemic. Since then, she and her husband Jim Karahalios have formed the New Blue Party.

Although much of her criticism of government measures over the last year surrounds lockdowns and new proof-of-vaccination requirements, Karahalios has pushed views through social media that could be considered misleading.

In one recent tweet, she cited an Israeli study on natural immunity to COVID in her criticism of the provincial proof-of-vaccination policy which bars all unvaccinated people from bars, restaurants, gyms and sports venues. Her claim, which says people who have had the disease are better protected from reinfection, ignores the fact that studies accepted by the US Centre for Disease Control and Health Canada show vaccines offer broader protection to variants.

Seeking comment from Karahalios, CambridgeToday was asked by the MPP’s constituency office to supply written questions that have so far gone unanswered.

During Friday’s media briefing on the COVID situation in Waterloo region, representatives from public health weren’t willing to offer a comment on Karahalios’ views or how such a stance may have had an impact on local vaccination efforts.

But Regional Chair Karen Redman said she was “heartened to see” some social media platforms working to suppress misinformation about the COVID vaccines.

In March, Twitter updated its misleading information policy around the vaccines, saying it would apply labels to Tweets that may contain misleading information about the vaccine.

Earlier this week, YouTube announced a new policy that bans videos touting the vaccine as dangerous. The platform also says it will remove all videos containing any anti-vaccination sentiments for other common vaccines. 

“I think that’s a huge step in allowing people to get better information and a more balanced approach to dealing with what is a global pandemic,” Redman said.


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Doug Coxson

About the Author: Doug Coxson

Doug has been a reporter and editor for more than 25 years, working mainly in Waterloo region and Guelph.
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